arithmetic mean

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)

arithmetic mean
    n 1: the sum of the values of a random variable divided by the
         number of values [syn: {arithmetic mean}, {first moment},
         {expectation}, {expected value}]

from The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)

arithmetic mean

   <mathematics> The {mean} of a list of N numbers calculated by
   dividing their sum by N.  The arithmetic mean is appropriate
   for sets of numbers that are added together or that form an
   {arithmetic series}.  If all the numbers in the list were
   changed to their arithmetic mean then their total would stay
   the same.

   For sets of numbers that are multiplied together, the
   {geometric mean} is more appropriate.

   (2007-03-20)